Friday , March 29 2024

Gerrem Orf!

How happy am I this week Answer: VERY! Loads of awful programmes featuring premium rate phone lines have been withdrawn. Unfortunately it seems that this is only on a temporary basis.

ITV have suspended their god awful late night interactive quiz channel and all their other programs containing premium rate phone-ins until the regulatory body, ICSTIS, has investigated and cleared them all of any wrongdoing.

If you read this rubbish regularly then youll be aware that I am vehemently opposed to phone in quiz channels, phone in vote shows (such as Theres Something About Strictly Big Brother X Factor Pop Idol Fame Academy On Ice) and phone in quiz questions in the middle of prime time TV shows that masquerade as competitions – asking such questions as:

Who is the Prime Minister of England

A) Tony Curtis
B) Tony Blackburn
C) Tony Blair

Or

Where in England would you find a famous Tower

A) Blackpool
B) Black Pudding Bertha
C) Black Hole Of Calcutta

Or finally

What is this type of quiz question

A) A Rip Off
B) Unethical – Preying on the unfortunate
C) A Big Money Spinner

The answer, of course, is all three!

All shows with these questions in (quiz channels and voting shows) should be removed permanently from our screens and be replaced with some decent programming. All three of these types of program are there to make money for the producers and TV company. TV companies actively encourage producers of programs to put these stupid question quizzes in the show to make extra revenue (as revealed by Paul o Grady last week he hates them too and thinks that they are a rip off). So what if advertising revenues are falling make some decent programs and well watch and the advertisers will flock in.

OK OK I know thats living in my own dream world where the population dont like reality telly (I sometimes think that Im in a minority of one in hating the genre!). But should I be called a spoilsport for denying poor, lonely, 86 year old Ethel of Easington her only interaction today when she rings the Richard and Ugly show to take part in a competition and gets ripped off Well, if Ethel didnt have these shows on the telly she might get a life! Heres a message from me to you:

Ethel Dear (Yes Its Me Turn your hearing aid up love!) If you need to make a call make one to a human at least Why not call the Lever Brothers Helpline on the side of your packet of Daz – or any one of the Hows My Driving numbers on the backs of lorries and slag them off for a bit of a laugh!

The fact that millions of folks call these quiz and reality shows to waste their hard earned cash just goes to show that some people really do get what they deserve. If you are stupid enough to take part in a competition on a phone in quiz channel or even to answer a single idiotic question that your average 3 yr old could make an intelligent guess at then good luck – I really do hope you win and oh yes I forgot something important you are a moron. No excuses you should understand as an adult about chance and the probability of winning. So stop wasting the housekeeping on it! Even worse than the 1 a minute competition contestants are the people who call to vote for someone on their favourite reality show they are voting for (or sometimes against) someone theyve never met who is a member of a cast of contestants all carefully selected by the producers to make you vote and spend your money. You get nothing back how thick is this

Come on ICSTIS get a grip ban these shows with any premium rate number in, then ban all other premium rate lines for the sad people who have bigger right forearms than left ones and then you can disband yourself job done quango closed money saved.

Cheers!

Headlander

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